Any engineers out there?

[civic209]

Alright so i thought id ask you guys and see how many of you are engineers and if you could shed some light on my career fogginess. I have decided to go with an engineering career either electrical or computer but really the only reason i say electrical because i took an electronics class in high school and i really liked it(building circuit boards, resistors, capacitors, diodes and what not as well as housing electrical stuff) and computer engineering because well......i like computers and i took a few computer classes in H.S. as well.
So i guess what im asking is just some general questions on what kind of engineering you do and details about sed career because i thought id ask some people with experience on different engineering careers instead of reading about it and to be honest i dont know what kind of engineering if any im going for :/
i am currently going to college it will be my second year this fall and so far ive just been taking the basics for engineering going onto calculus 2 and chemistry 4b as well as others.
Thanks guys

 

[Ej8Kid]

Most people major in a specific path then work in a completely different background lol. I wanted to do bioengineering but I ended up working for HR lol.

Not the best advice but follow the heart of the cards.

 

[X-aCuTiOnA]

Im going for mechanical engineering atm. mainly cause i love things that go. engineering is good if you can handle the math... but its a LOT of hard work

 

[ShinsenTuner]

Mechanical Engineering junior here. It's not so bad. I am working as an intern right now. If the field is anything as interesting as what I am doing, then I chose the right path.

 

[Robin...]

Im going for industrial engineer... Lol i barely started like 2 and a half months ago... For now im learning bodywork and paint, electrical mechanic, hopefully i'll learn more things...

 

[civic209]

well i was always good at math but the chemistry is the stuff that i dont like :/ bioengineering is like the bio enhanced soldier and stuff like that? lol
what exactly do you do at this mechanical engineering intern thing? like you go in clock in and?

 

[civic209]

Im going for industrial engineer... Lol i barely started like 2 and a half months ago...

now industrial engineering is when you calculate and figure out all the specs and what not of building buildings right? how much material is needed and what budget is used so limits can find how to minimize your cost of material and stuff like that?

 

[VSP]

Something important to keep in mind is that most professional engineering degree programs reflect a much, much deeper scope than the hands-on material you learn in high school.

I went to a recording school, graduated, but discovered in the process I loved working hands on with electronics.

So after that I went to a community college to get a degree in Electronic Engineering (A.S.), intending to transfer to a special B.S. program at a local university. I earned the A.S. engineering degree, but was unsatisfied with the projected outlook.

Bottom line: stay in school to become a higher-level engineer, but understand that most of what they do is not always hands on technician stuff.

That said, I chose civil engineering as my career path because it would 1) give me an extremely broad survey education of the engineering spectrum (beyond the core classes) and 2) because I wanted to have the option to get outside once and a while instead of being trapped behind a desk.

Are you at the university level yet? Or are you taking from a 2-year college right now? Reason for asking is, often times the 4-year colleges will have excellent internship placement programs with connections into the local community for internship opportunities.

Go on bls.gov to check out how much the different engineering professions make. Combine your resources and determine what you want to do.

Props for being in such a difficult and demanding program of study! I'll never forget that first semester....hit me harder than a load of bricks suspended 6.9 meters in the air neglecting air resistance and dropped on my head with me standing on an incline with a coeficient of static friction being .35. (lol...ah, physics 1...)

If you ever need any help, encouragement, or direction, never hesitate to ask.

 

[ShinsenTuner]

well i was always good at math but the chemistry is the stuff that i dont like :/ bioengineering is like the bio enhanced soldier and stuff like that? lol
what exactly do you do at this mechanical engineering intern thing? like you go in clock in and?

I work under other mechanical engineers to help solve and prevent problems on machinery that deals with the extrusion and blowing of plastic material. I've always loved machinery but I also enjoy the design aspect and dealing with it based on a material level.

I hope to keep my GPA high enough to get a Masters degree and eventually work for the Navy or something as a structural engineer. Yep...

 

[VSP]

^^ You'll get it. Keep it up.

 

[Aaron.]

i mainly do mechanical but i have competed in several structural engineering competitions and won at the national level

 

[X-aCuTiOnA]

I work under other mechanical engineers to help solve and prevent problems on machinery that deals with the extrusion and blowing of plastic material. I've always loved machinery but I also enjoy the design aspect and dealing with it based on a material level.

I hope to keep my GPA high enough to get a Masters degree and eventually work for the Navy or something as a structural engineer. Yep...

Army Corp of Engineering is where you wanna be. I know a dude that works for them making bank... hopefully me too some day

 

[civic209]

oooh gotcha well i am still at the community college level as stated before going onto calculus 2 and chemistry 4b(next is physics)

i dont really want to sit behind a desk and calculate too much stuff(thats why im going to school for) i like to be hands on i mean yea i understand that there will be some of it but id say 50/50 hands on and calculations would be good(idk?)

VSP: what did you do as an electrical engineer? am guessing it was a lot of behind the desk calculations and stuff? As a civic engineer your pretty much a mechanic right? but specializing in civics?
Also that dropping bricks equation thing is something that i wouldnt mind doing you know solving this and that calculating how far it would go down if dropped at such and such height with a bunch of factors needing consideration.

the mechanical engineering seems to be something like working at a honda manufacturer overseeing the building process of the cars?

lol well at this rate i wont be able to transfer to san luis obispo(cal poly) till about 4 years of community college because i simply cannot take 4 classes a semester while working.

Thanks for the support man i will definitely be in contact if i have some questions(which i probably will lol)

 

[Indy_Civic]

Bottom line: stay in school to become a higher-level engineer, but understand that most of what they do is not always hands on technician stuff.

That said, I chose civic engineering as my career path

 

[VSP]

^^ lol apparently I've got a lot to learn about proofreading still. fixed.

 

[Indy_Civic]

Civil engineers build structures such as bridges and buildings (stuff doesn't move and stays strong). Mechanical engineers want things to move. Electrical works on electronics, batteries, boards, powerplants. Computer designs electronics as well as software engineering. Chemical works with chemicals (my uncle works for a pharmecutical(sp)) and is also a broad spectrum. I went to school with some biomedical engineers and they do universal soldier s**t. lol not really but it's one of the newest and hardest fields. They get paid the most too. I took off some time from engineering and want to go back because frankly, the workforce that doesn't have higher education, has the slimmest pickings and in today's economy it gets smaller and shittier by the day.
Luckily, the first few semesters of engineering is a core that all engineers take and it's fairly easy to swap. Good luck and get in those books.

 

[Indy_Civic]

Also like vsp said, being an engineer is really a thinking mans job. If you want to do a more hands on job, look into engineering technician jobs. More of an applied, hands-on problem solver than a behind the desk, number crunching, theory testing kind of job.
I would recommend talking to advisors for both these programs.

 

[vjf915]

Well its not a REAL train, but I control the train we put around our Christmas tree.....Im still in charge of a train that goes "choo chooooo", so I guess Im an engineer

 

[VSP]

VSP: what did you do as an electrical engineer? am guessing it was a lot of behind the desk calculations and stuff? As a civic engineer your pretty much a mechanic right? but specializing in civics?
Also that dropping bricks equation thing is something that i wouldnt mind doing you know solving this and that calculating how far it would go down if dropped at such and such height with a bunch of factors needing consideration.

Actually, I had an electronic engineering technology degree, so it was more geared towards hands-on technician applications. At the time I worked for a TV station and did work on tape machines, video production equipment (switchers, audio consoles), and the large signal transmitter (cleaning, calibrating).

If I wanted to leave the TV station I discovered I would have to take a pay cut because, to be honest, technician jobs don't pay that well.

Originally I had wanted to work for a large defense contractor like Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman after earning my 4-year ET degree, but that changed when the local university shut down the ET bachelor's program I was about to go into (following the 2-year degree I earned).

So now I still work for a TV station (a different one, and in a slightly different capacity) while I go back for my civil engineering degree. My cousin has a civil degree, and he alternates between working in an office and going to the field. (He researches soil samples and ground integrity for future Krogers grocery store build sites.)

(And by the way, "Civic" engineer was an ironic misspelling; sorry if there was any confusion.)

The brick equation is sort of a mashup of things I remember offhand from my physics 1 w/calculus class. If you're good at math, then you'll love doing this kind of stuff. (I'm actually not terribly proficient at mathematics, but I've made it all the way through calc 2 so far without failing a single class. It's more of a mental discipline than anything, I've found.) Like said, if you're already good with math, this stuff will be a breeze for you.

And another note: having an interest with the hands-on stuff is not a drawback. All the experience I gained from the tech years, along with the troubleshooting discipline I've learned from working on my car in my off time, has only helped me excel at my various classes. Given that you sound like a kinesthetic learner, this stuff plus what you learned in high school will serve as an excellent foundation to build off of.

Also like vsp said, being an engineer is really a thinking mans job. If you want to do a more hands on job, look into engineering technician jobs. More of an applied, hands-on problem solver than a behind the desk, number crunching, theory testing kind of job.
I would recommend talking to advisors for both these programs.

^^ Exactly correct.

Engineering Technology, which was my first degree's discipline, was more oriented towards turning the screws and testing the equipment.

All other forms of engineering (civil, industrial, mechanical, chemical, nuclear, electrical, ect.) are more theory-based and involve more of a focus on design. These jobs are typically harder. It's the difference between an auto mechanic and a automobile designer, literally. They typically pay better, though, and there usually seems to be a higher demand for well-qualified engineers. Again, check the Bureau of Labor Statistics to verify what will fit you best.

Well its not a REAL train, but I control the train we put around our Christmas tree.....Im still in charge of a train that goes "choo chooooo", so I guess Im an engineer

Lol....classic Dilbert. "I'm an engineer, mom." "Yes dear, so how are the trains running today at the station?"

 

[Jersey8]

oooh gotcha well i am still at the community college level as stated before going onto calculus 2 and chemistry 4b(next is physics)

i dont really want to sit behind a desk and calculate too much stuff(thats why im going to school for) i like to be hands on i mean yea i understand that there will be some of it but id say 50/50 hands on and calculations would be good(idk?)

VSP: what did you do as an electrical engineer? am guessing it was a lot of behind the desk calculations and stuff? As a civic engineer your pretty much a mechanic right? but specializing in civics?
Also that dropping bricks equation thing is something that i wouldnt mind doing you know solving this and that calculating how far it would go down if dropped at such and such height with a bunch of factors needing consideration.

the mechanical engineering seems to be something like working at a honda manufacturer overseeing the building process of the cars?

lol well at this rate i wont be able to transfer to san luis obispo(cal poly) till about 4 years of community college because i simply cannot take 4 classes a semester while working.

Thanks for the support man i will definitely be in contact if i have some questions(which i probably will lol)

ive been a mechanical engineering student for about 5 years now (4.5 yr program, 1 yr behind) and i have one more semester left this fall. i am also doing a minor in automotive powertrain. my entire college career ive been enrolled in a co-op program with my school, which is pretty much a paid internship, except i attend classes 6 months out of the year, and work the other 6 months. current;y my job is at BASF at an engine testing facility. BASF is a worldwide chemical company out of germany who makes products for almost everything (plastics, rubbers, cosmetics, automotive, etc.). my facility is in the environmental technologies division, part of which produces catalyst samples for diesel and gasoline emissions systems (catalytic converters) and i work with mechanical and chemical engineers to test these catalysts on several different kinds of engines. i love working here cause i love working with engines. when i first started here, they started me form the ground. i was doing basic technician work (oil changes, work on engines, etc) as i moved up they started giving me more engineering work and projects to do, and i as doing less hands on work. but i still step in to help out technicians, as well as do desk work. my boss is a hands on guy too, so even tho he is a legit engineer, he still gets his hands dirty

Civil engineers build structures such as bridges and buildings (stuff doesn't move and stays strong). Mechanical engineers want things to move. Electrical works on electronics, batteries, boards, powerplants. Computer designs electronics as well as software engineering. Chemical works with chemicals (my uncle works for a pharmecutical(sp)) and is also a broad spectrum. I went to school with some biomedical engineers and they do universal soldier s**t. lol not really but it's one of the newest and hardest fields. They get paid the most too. I took off some time from engineering and want to go back because frankly, the workforce that doesn't have higher education, has the slimmest pickings and in today's economy it gets smaller and shittier by the day.
Luckily, the first few semesters of engineering is a core that all engineers take and it's fairly easy to swap. Good luck and get in those books.

i feel like some of you guys have a bit of the wrong impression when it comes to different types of engineering, or your vision of what each does is too narrow. the cool thing is that alot of them overlap eachother.
i would say mechanical engineering is probably the most broad because its involved in almost everything. design, r&d, testing, etc. mechanical engineers do not involve just "things that move" they are behind pretty much everything you use in your daily life (cars/engines, microwaves, shower head/faucet, garage door, etc. i can go on for hours) for example, a buddy of mine works for a company that designs staples for conveyor belts at supermarket cashier stations.
electrical engineers do alot with electrical, yes, but they also do tons of programming.